Buena High School students Annalie Sherman and Malia Ilagan record at the Buena High School studio for the school's third holiday album, "Not So Silent Night Volume 3." PHOTO COURTESY OF BUENA HIGH SCHOOL

Tim Frantz from Mountain Dog Musicworks works with Buena High School's librarian Joel Levin. Levin wrote an original song for the album called "We Will Rise," in honor of those affected by the Thomas, Woolsey and Hill fires. PHOTO COURTESY OF BUENA HIGH SCHOOL

Most high school students can’t say their music is available for purchase on iTunes or Amazon, but Buena High School is not most high schools.

Students, staff members and alumni joined together to create the school’s third album this year. All instrumentals and vocals come from current or former Buena Bulldogs.

The third studio album of winter and holiday-themed songs from Buena High School, dubbed “Not So Silent Night Volume 3” is available to music lovers everywhere.

“The kids’ music is published and out there in the world,” said Kevin Downey, the school’s choir teacher.

The Buena High School Choir also sings as an ensemble on the album, and several students have solos. There are even three original songs. The performers select the songs that end up on the album of all different genres, as long as they are holiday- or winter-themed.

When the album is all finished and mixed by an audio engineer and the students get to listen to it for the first time, Downey said there are hardly words to describe the experience.

“They are floored; they are absolutely excited,” Downey said. “I haven’t done extensive research, but there really aren’t any high school programs that do something like this. There really isn’t like an independent public high school that puts out music like this.”

Downey said one of the students on the album was telling him that her parents were blasting her song in the house.

“They are just all smiles when they talk about it and get to share it,” Downey said. “Some of them work on their songs, but they don’t hear the rest of the album until it’s done. So when they first hear it they are all excited and we have a big party.”

The students, alumni and staff record the album at a full-blown recording studio at the high school that was funded by previous Big Bad Voodoo Daddy arts grants. The CD volumes have been funded by the Ventura County Office of Education Impact II grant, the Ventura Education Partnership and the school’s Parent Teacher Student Association, as well as funds from sales of the first two volumes.

It’s a team effort that brings the larger Buena High School family together to use their talents to bring a gift to the community.

The last song on the album, titled “We Will Rise,” was written by Buena’s librarian Joel Levin to pay homage to the survivors of the Thomas, Woolsey and Hill fires that have ravaged Ventura County in the past year.

“We’re fiercer than the fire and our spirits won’t expire, because the miracle of hope will never die,” the song goes. “We will rise higher than the flames, we will rise above the ashes all the same, we will rise far beyond these walls. We will rise, we will rise, we will rise above it all.”

The album is available to purchase and download digitally from iTunes, Amazon, Google Play Store, and CD Baby Store. Just search “The Buena High School Choir,” to find the album. The physical album is also available at the Buena Associated Student Body Store.